Patent Reform Is About Wealth, Who Should Have It

Law360, New York (November 1, 2007, 12:00 AM EDT) -- Attempts to alter the processes associated with creating, licensing and killing patents have waxed and waned. For the past 20 or so years, they have been spectacular failures. Not this time. Whether you want it or you were one of the many who watched and snickered in 2006, this time it will happen and the reason is the growing sensitivity to a form of redistributing wealth.

The idea of wealth redistribution in the U.S. is not new. We do it with both assets and income. The...